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MU Health System gets $13.3M in federal money

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The University of Missouri Health System will receive $13.3 million from the federal government to enhance primary care for elderly patients.

The money from the US Department of Health and Human Services will directly benefit Medicare and Medicaid recipients in the MU Health System by improving technology used by physicians and healthcare providers. Online medical records will be easily available for patients and their doctors through the use of health dashboards and portals.  Dr. Jerry Parker, MU’s Associate Dean of Research says the grant will improve the quality of patient care while reducing health care costs.

“This approach is really intended to permit providers to expand beyond that point of care analysis to permit them to quickly and easily look at their entire population and see health care needs that can be responded to,” Parker said.

The technology will allow patients to schedule routine visits, review lab results and learn more about preventative care before meeting with a physician. Parker says the health system will start implementing the changes in the coming months and expects the process to take 3 years. The $13.3 million grant is a result of the Federal Affordable Care Act.